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May 19, 2013

Oops, it's been awhile.


Life just took over. We've been busy. Good busy. I needed a break from blogging as well, it felt good. I haven't had as much to blog about lately, but now a catch up is in order.

Last Wednesday was my last day as a nanny, 9 months with the same two boys. They saw me get engaged and married. I've gotten so close with family, I am actually pretty sad to be moving on. I know I will still fill in when they need me, but nothing close to the 20hrs a week I've had. I can remember how bitter I was about having to be a nanny; I had left an amazing job on the gulf and taken a severe pay cut. Some days I wondered why I had signed up for this and others the boys pulled at my heart. I've been close with a few families over the years, but these are the first that probably won't remember me in a few years.

I feel so grateful I was able to watch the boys grow and excel. I got to experience Mason learning how to read, Nate being potty trained and both boys claiming sports trophies. They are both so different and yet brothers. It makes me excited for the day I become a mother, I cannot imagine how much I will love our baby.

As May comes to an end I'm soaking up my time with Rob. We head off to D.C. next week and the last weekend stay with the boys mentioned above while their parents head off to Italy. I'm not looking forward to June as much, Rob leaves for his two weeks of training. Two straight weeks of being alone in the house seems like torture. I know it's good practice for next year, but no one wants to practice deployment, no one.

I guess I should end on a happier note, life is so good. Our family is so good to us and I love our little home. It's hard to believe this is just the beginning, just the start. I've got a lot of projects to tackle with my new free time and hopefully that means more blog content.

Hope you all are doing well!

May 4, 2013

Puppy Party


Last weekend our dog Molly turned 4!! We wanted to celebrate and also make up for missing Parker's 3rd birthday while we were getting married. Rob sent me a recipe for a dog cake, and I went all out. I found another recipe that used pretty much everything we already had in the house. Even made frosting which was just adorable.

You are either thinking one of two things... this girl has lost her mind baking a cake for a dog OR Brilliant! Best dog owners ever!!

Regardless, this puppy party happened. It was just a family affair. The day started with cake for breakfast, presents and a walk with 'grandma' (Rob's mom). Then we took them to this amazing dog park that has a creek for them to swim in. They had a blast and got along with all the dogs. They slept the whole rest of the day. I think they enjoyed the spoiling.

I was pretty worried that the cake would upset their stomach, but nope, they were fine. I guess because the ingredients are all very healthy and easy on their tummies. Molly has a very sensitive stomach, so I approve this recipe. 4 Paws up.

Have you ever done anything ridiculous for your pets?

Recipe // found at Chic Sprinkles

MINI BERRY-ALMOND CAKE

The Cake:
1 3/4 cup almond flour
2 TBS honey (preferably raw)
3 eggs 
2-3 TBS of coconut oil, melted
A handfull chopped organic strawberries and a couple of extra for topping (blueberries work too!)

The Icing:
1 cup of organic plain yogurt (choose one with low sugar content)
2-3 TBS of almond butter or natural peanut butter

Preheat your oven to 350. Use coconut oil to grease two ramekin dishes (depending on the size of your dishes you may have enough batter for 3 layers). Mix your cake ingredients in the blender until smooth and fold in the berries. Pour batter into the prepared ramekin dishes, about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15- 20 minutes. Let cool.

While your mini cakes are cooling, mix together your yogurt and nut butter until smooth. Once cool, spread the icing onto the tops of each layer and stack. Garnish with berries of your choice, and the cake is ready to eat!